May 02, 2011

Sharing Lincoln Park

Paid by the taxpayers of Lake View Township & North Chicago Township

1870 to about 1910

(click to enlarge images)

Before the annexation of 1889 the citizens of both Township/City of Lake View and the then Township of North Chicago paid for the maintenance of the park space though property taxation and were members of a governing board that had political authority to expand the park north & south.

This book highlights the relationship with park called Lincoln and the township/city of Lake View from its early days in accordance to the publication of this book in 1899, a good read. The book was published as an report of the progress made that year. The first section is a comprehensive history of the park followed by sections about the history of Lake Shore Drive along with smaller sections on the Animal Department & Floral Departments within the park space.

The governance of Lincoln Park was established by the State of Illinois in 1869 even though the park was created years before. This small park would a decade later absorbed the 60 acre cemetery called simply 'Chicago Cemetery' as well as the existing Catholic and Jewish cemeteries. Later in the 20th century the park space would expand northward along the lakefront. The Lincoln Park Board of Commissioners, the governing body for the parkland and the roadways along the lakefront, planned for the park's expansion northward along with the expansion of 'North-Lake Shore Drive' north of the park. The Board of 5 members would link the then 120 acre park with Chicago's neighbor to the north - the Township of Lake View by the early 1870's. While the membership of the Board was split between political representatives of Chicago & Lake View Township the maintenance and expansion revenue was split between two township assessors, Lake View and North Chicago townships (northern Chicago). Early Chicago was comprised of North, West, & South Chicago townships - all current taxing bodies for property assessment to this day even though there has been several attempts to abolish this unit of government - one of the oldest forms of governance in Illinois as well as in many eastern states.

This 1863 Charles Shober map shows the original park space (yellow), Chicago Cemetery (green), and Catholic Cemetery (yellow) south of the park space.

The zoomed version of the 1863 map of the original park space that apparently shows some sort of rain water drainage system called Lake Shore Ditch later be called the '10 mile ditch'. - University of Chicago Digital Map Collection

The land was not located in the City of Chicago but the Township of North Chicago & maintained by the citizens of that township through property taxes and called 'Lake Park'.

a 1866 view of the park

image - Calumet 412

The Park Administration 1869

image - Chicago Tribune

This post is my historical review of the relationship between two governmental units - Township/City of Lake View and the City of Chicago with the park, Lincoln Park.

Lake View Township/City and the City of Chicago had joint administration of the park from early 1870's to 1889 along with the Township of North Chicago. After the annexation the 'old guard' of 5 members remained on the Board years after even after some bitter political infighting about representative taxation. In the early 1870's the expansion of the park was routed north of Webster Avenue to Fullerton and then to Diversey Avenue (Parkway). Fullerton Avenue as of 1853 was always the northern border of Chicago until the annexation of the City of Lake View in 1889. During this time period the park would be populated with monuments of literary masters of Europe that must have been approved by the Lincoln Board of Commissioners. When the park's geography was changed north of Fullerton Avenue the financial responsibility of the park was shared by the Township of Lake View and Chicago. The Lincoln Park Board of Commissioners remains today as a functional entity but with much less political authority as it did the the 19th century.

The sections of this post are 'Monuments of the Park', 'Lincoln Park Zoo', the 'Conservatory', and finally an interest segment called 'The Lake Shore Ditch' that was established before the park was established to mitigate water overflow.

Note: Green Bay Road became Clark Street; Little Fort Road became Lincoln Avenue by the end of the 19th century.

The Park by 1873

When the park space was established north of Fullerton Avenue the taxpayers of Lake View Township joined the taxpayers of North Chicago (near north Chicago) in paying the bills of expansion and the amenities within the park

In 1853 the State of Illinois granted Chicago land from North to Fullerton avenues setting the stage for the ownership of Lincoln Park, the park. This area was known as North Chicago Township that still serves as a property taxing body in Illinois. With the establishment of Lincoln Park as a park the citizens of North Chicago Township paid the total cost of maintenance for the park land. When the park extended northward past Fullerton Avenue the citizens of both North Chicago and the Township of Lake View paid for the park. The City of Chicago would only agree to contribute cost for police protection for the park. The cost matrix's of the park would change in the 20th century where by the citizens of Chicago would pay for the total costs of the ever expanding park under the authority of City of Chicago and still under the authority the Lincoln Park Board of Commissioners.

Below is a map of the townships within the City of Chicago before the annexation of Lake View, Jefferson, Lake, and Hyde Park townships in 1889 - doubled the size of the city.

This area west of Lake View Avenue was annex by the City of Chicago, once part of the Township of Lake View during this time period to be used for the park.

1893 photo - Detroit Publishing

postcard - part of my personal collection

Below are a Set of Articles

that indicated the Chicago's vision/dream of a 'Drive'. The 'Drive' would be the driving force for an expanded park space beginning with ...

1867 The 'Avenue' along the Shore

1868 image - University of Chicago Digital Map Collection

This 1868 Charles Shober map shows the annexation of Chicago Cemetery and an apparent conversion of the old cemeteries below Lincoln Park. Zoom with a view of the this 1869 map that in detail highlights Lake View Township.

The Citizens of Lake View get their Pond:

The North Pond

image - 'Lincoln Park 1899'

1882The linked road from the park to the

Township of Lake View planned

This last article demonstrates that the township and years later the City of Lake View were interested in a roadway along the lakefront as well. Under the Lincoln Park Act of 1869 a small section of land that was currently part of the township (north of Fullerton Avenue to Diversey) was granted to the Lincoln Park Commission. Because of that the commissioners were chosen ... half from the City of Chicago and and the other half from the Township/City of Lake View so to supervise the expansion and maintenance of the park

& the planned 'drive' northward on planned land-filled space.

1877 Chicago Cemetery

begins to disappear from the landscape

O.W. Gray and Son via 1876 U. of Alabama Digital mapsThese edited Chicago city maps shows the transformation from cemetery more park space-O.W. Gray and Son via 1883 U. of Alabama Digital maps-

this edited map highlights the park beyond Fullerton Avenue

edit image - University of Alabama Digital MapsThis Rand McNally map (produced before annexation) shows that Lincoln Park was located both in City of Chicago and the City of Lake View before June 1889 annexation

The extension phases 1863-73 that expanded south to absorb the cemeteries and then northward to the township

image - Art Institute of Chicago via Explore Chicago

(click on image to enlarge the map)

The original park space was small compared to its current size and design - the park between Fullerton and Diversey Parkway was redesigned during the expansion & widening of Lake Shore Drive from 1937-1942.

1863 to the right & 1870 to the left from North Avenue to Diversey Avenue

the park in 1873 from North Avenue to Diversey

the park space in 1899

The original park space had neighbors to its' south - Chicago Cemetery, Catholic Cemetery, and a smaller private Jewish cemetery that included a space for the confederate Civil War dead. The original space expanded first south so to absorb the former cemeteries. The Catholic Cemetery was the last piece to be annexed and converted into park space. The Catholic cardinals' residence marks the south end of their former cemetery and the then park space.

postcard - CashCowBuilt on of the old Catholic Cemetery on North Avenue was the residence of of the first Catholic cardinal in Chicago, Archbishop Feehan (1880-1902)

Governance of the Park:

The Lincoln Park Board

of Commissioners in 1889

The Township of Lake View became a city for only two years between 1887-89. The city was annexed to the City of Chicago in June 1889. When the two year old city was annexed in 1889 the existing Lincoln Park board members became citizens of Chicago old habits die hard and their loyalties were squarely with the old city of Lake View and with its new political clout would be a force to be reckon with in Chicago's city hall almost a decade the political annexation

image - 'Lincoln Park 1899'

The image above is the first expenditure of the Lincoln Board of Commissioners with resident of Lake View Township - John B Turner as its treasurer

above image - 'Lincoln Park 1899'

the below image is the park in the 1880's - Ebay

In 1887 May

The article below is about the plan

to build this new roadway along the lakefront

1887 DecemberCitizens of the City of Lake View begin to complain about the park's levies (taxes)

This edited 1889 shows the park and the then southern section of City of Lake View (1887-1889). While the park was geographically part of the City of Chicago the administration of the park was still governed by the Lincoln Park Board of Commissioners - the Board is still in existence today.

a 1893 Rand McNalley map zoomed

-zoomed photo - University of Chicago Digital Maps-

The original lakeside road through the park was called 'Breakwater Carriage Drive and Sidewalk Drive' and created as a sorta land-made protection from the storms of the lake

View of roadway between the lagoons & lake from the then existing 'High Bridge' pictured in this 1908 postcard - Ebay

The City takes claim to the Waters

off the Shoreline in 1889

image - Lincoln Park 1899

and a closer view below toward Diversey Street (Parkway)

image - University of Chicago Digital Collection

The blueprint lithograph - mid 1880's. The park is extended to Diversey Street (Parkway) with plans to establish a lagoon at Diversey and Belmont Avenues. Diversey was to be the final parks/boulevard link of the city's established boulevard system - it did not happen due to citizen/business opposition.

In 1877, Birch Canal was created, connecting Lincoln
Park’s North Pond to other water-bodies, which were later reshaped and
designated the Swan Pond and Waterfowl Lagoon. Around these constructed water
features, several animal enclosures and buildings were built, and the zoo
evolved to include Victorian gardens, undulating topography, meandering paths,
rustic bridges, and stands of mature trees. Rather than being set apart from
the larger Lincoln Park landscape, the zoological collections were integrated
into the park without fences or admission fees. By the early 1900's, enclosures
for bears, bison, birds, and sea lions were complemented by pavilions,
restaurants, comfort stations, and the Prairie-style Café Brauer, designed by
Dwight Perkins and completed in 1908.

'Boat Harbor' probably along the canal

image - 'Lincoln Park 1899'

probably a photo of the Water Station used to maintain the property grounds within the park

This map indicates the proposed extension of the park northward to Belmont Avenue The Diversey & Belmont lagoons were planned. Belmont and Diversey would become 'Yacht Harbors'. Belmont's opened to the public in 1913.

Purchase of land to Diversey in 1903

Canoes in the Lagoon in 1902

part 2

Canoe and Boat Club by 1908

Old Lake View still Pays for the Park

Lake View, even after the annexation of 1889, still paid for the improvements at Lincoln Park along with citizens of northern Chicago (North Chicago Township). The State of Illinois law of 1869 dictates that these two governmental entities North Chicago Township & Lake View Township are obligated to use their property assessment tactics to collect.

shows the existing lakefront (at the time) along with the old Lake View Water Works Crib - (link to post)New Shoreline Proposed in 1904north of Diversey to Belmont

Planned Bathing Beach

from Fullerton to Diversey in 1910

1911 U.S. Engineer Department Map

This is a 1911 U.S. Engineer Department map of the existing lakefront. The blue area indicated a depth of 10 feet of water, pinkish area indicate at least 21 feet, and the outer green more than 21 feet. The park ended at Diversey.

image - 'Lincoln Park 1899'a 1898 storm destroyed everything along the shoreline.A seawall on along the shoreline along with RR tracks that were mounted on it was damaged.

'The process of planning, development and construction of
the lakefront took place over several decades. Shoreline expansion started in
the 1890's in the areas that would become Grant Park and Streeterville. However,
the major shoreline expansion took place between 1920 and 1940. The process of
building out the land along the Lake Michigan shoreline involved driving an
outer line of bulkheads away from the original shoreline and then filling
behind it with material dredged from the Lake Michigan bottom, sand from the
Indiana shoreline, general construction debris, alley waste and even debris
from the Chicago Fire, in places up to a mile away from the original shoreline.
In 1910, the construction of the existing shoreline protection structures
began. From 1910 to 1931, the shoreline protection structures were built along
the lakefront from the north side of the city to the south always with the hope of containment.

Expansion Northward

These two shoreline maps that I bought from Ebay represent the northward expansion of Lincoln Park first to Cornelia Street in 1918 and then to almost Montrose Avenue by 1926.Once the park extended northward from Fullerton Avenue by 1870 the cost of maintenance of the park along with the addition of amenities such as monuments, zoo grounds, conservatory area became the responsibility of the property taxpayers of the Township/City of Lake View as well as the taxpayers of North Chicago Township (northern Chicago).

1918 map with a zoomed view below

second map1926map with a zoomed view below

North-Lake Shore DriveThe other responsibility of the Lincoln Park Board of Commissioners was the construction of a roadway along the lakefront. We know this road as Lake Shore Drive.(click to enlarge image)

images - 'Lincoln Park 1899'

WPA Project 1937-1942

A More Direct Roadway Link Though the Park

It finally took destructive storms in 1929 in both Spring and Autumn along with stimulus monies during the depression of the 1930's to realign a more direct roadway link around the park. This new link finally and directly link-up the Loop area of the city to its northernmost point at the time, Foster Avenue. City planners would use the existing 'Break Water and Carriage Drive' as the new extension of Lake Shore Drive. The federal government granted construction aid between 1937-1942 to not only widen but expand further the 'Drive' along the shore. The federal dollars were used to realign the existing park making it more car-friendly. These monies today would be called stimulus package from the Federal government in Washington DC.

So, by 1942 parkland and harbors were created by landfill along the man-made shoreline with governmental assistance where, at one time, there were cliff formations, small bluffs, and street-end beaches (my other blog post).

'The zoo was founded in 1868, when the Lincoln Park
[Board of] Commissioners were given a gift of a pair of swans by Central Park's
Board of Commissioners - New York City. In 1874 the swans were joined by a bear
cub from the Philadelphia Zoo; the first animal purchased for the zoo. The bear
became quite adept at escaping from its' home and could frequently be found
roaming Lincoln Park at night.' [from 1873 Chicago & Lake View Township had
joint responsibility of the park/zoo through the Lincoln Park Board of
Commissioners] - Wikipedia edited

image below - 'Lincoln Park 1899'

Population of the Zoo in 1893

Chicago, The Garden City by Andreas Simon 1893

Another Perspective in 1899

images - Lincoln Park 1899

Contributions to the Zoo in 1899

page 2

The Zoo Keeper

one of the most dominate figures of the park

below photo - Chicago History Museum

via Explore Chicago Collection

An Account 1893

Chicago:The Garden City by Andreas Simon

Mr. W.C.Goudy was a resident of Lake View Township who was the first president of the original Lincoln Park Board

Some Early Postcards of the Zoo

from my personal collection

The Conservatory images - Chicago, The Garden City by Andrea's Simon The original conservatory was called the 'Palm House' - to the right of this photo with its outside garden space

A New Palm House

the new building, constructed by 1893 image - Chicago, The Garden City by Andrea's Simon

‘The Lincoln Park Commission constructed the Lincoln Park
Conservatory in phases between 1890 and 1895, replacing a small greenhouse that
dated from the 1870s. Nationally renowned architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee
designed the Conservatory in collaboration with architect M.E. Bell. A
"paradise under glass," the Conservatory supported

"a luxuriant
tropical growth, blending the whole into a natural grouping of Nature’s
loveliest forms. "Historically, aquatic plants propagated in tanks in the
Conservatory were planted outside, in artificially-heated lily ponds. The
exotic plants were so popular that in 1897 the Egyptian government requested
seeds from Lincoln Park's water lilies. The rocky-edged ponds once meandered
along what is now the fence line of the Lincoln Park Zoo.’ - Chicago Park
District

The Floral Report in 1899

images - Lincoln Park 1899

1902 photo inside the new building

photo - Chicago History Museum

via Explore Chicago Collection

photo - Chicago History Museum

via Explore Chicago Collection

1903 photo inside the new building

photo - Chicago History Museum

via Explore Chicago Collection

The postcards below are from my personal collection that I purchased from Ebay during the course of one summer.

These monuments mentioned in the post were mostly commissioned and installed prior to 1910. The administration of the park was shared with the citizens of old Lake View and the rest of Chicago while the revenue for the park was raised and administered by the residents of assessment district of Lake View & North Chicago Townships This arranged began when the Lincoln Park of Commissioners (governing body) expanded the park space north of Fullerton Avenue northward. The governmental integration of the old township with the City of Chicago probably took a decade or more to resolve. The Lincoln Park Board of Commissioners to this day still hold meetings probably less argumentatively from the days of battling riparian rights, outer drive plans, and the battles of power & influence of the 19th century tribal politics.

And then there was this Ditch:The Lake Shore Ditch Channelbuilt between 1850-1855

While looking at some vintage maps of the second half of
the 19th century I continued to see this line in each map called the 'Lake View
Ditch' to be later referred to as the '10 mile ditch' due to the fact it
stretched from Township of Evanston (Devon Avenue was the border at the time)
to northern Chicago. The ditch was a water/drainage ditch that worked as a sewer
from constant storms from Lake Michigan overflow. The drainage ditch dug
initially meant to keep the land in particular Chicago Cemetery dry as well as
the Catholic & Jewish areas.

image - 'Lincoln Park 1899'

The location of a cemetery along the lakefront may have
seen scenic but it became apparent that it did not work-out so well when the
winds & waves of the lake would crash to the shore sometimes with vengeance
during a storm. The dirt covering the remains of loved ones would wash away and
the interred would surface. After a while the medical field discovered the
connection between interred and lake drinking water. The interred were removed
from the city limits into cemeteries of the Township of Lake View beginning in
the late 1850's. The ditch became obsolete covered &
forgotten.

a David Rumsey map 1869 edit

the red highlighted area indicate the border

between City of Chicago & Lake View Township

In 1869 the park was governed by the Lincoln Park Board of Commissioners. In accordance to a 1869 map the 10 mile ditch stretched from North Avenue through the original/initial the park area toward & through southern portion of Lake View Township ending apparently north of Wilson Avenue.

this is zoomed view of David Rumsey 1869 map edit highlights the continued route of 'Lake Shore Ditch' through the township as well a roadway called 'Lake Shore Plank Road' known day as Broadway. The zoomed David Ramsey map below has the ditch fading
away somewhere north of Wilson Avenue once known as Shippey Road. I have
published a post about the cemeteries that were established in Lake View
Township that was a direct connection to the failed location of cemeteries
along the existing lakeshore called Cemeteries of Old Lake View. It is my
contention that old Lake View would have been a ‘back-water’ township for
several more decades and its interest to annexation to the City of Chicago delayed
or non-existent.

The Postcard Viewsall from my personal collection

Most the postcards date between the 1880's to 1910's.

when property taxpayers of Lake View Township and North Chicago Township had influence in the administration of the park and paid for it from 1870 til the turn of the 20th century. Read about the Lake View's connection to the park by reading 'Lincoln Park 1899' from this link.

this photo looking south of the Palm House which was the original name of the current conservatory building

the second building that was once called the Palm House

Lincoln Park Zoo

from 1870-1910ish

'The zoo was founded in 1868, when the Lincoln Park Commissioners were given a gift of a pair of swans by Central Park's Board of Commissioners in New York City. Other animals were soon donated to the park, including, a puma, two elk, three wolves, four eagles, & eight peacocks. In 1874, a bear cub from the Philadelphia Zoo was the first animal purchased by the zoo. The bear became quite adept at escaping from its home and could frequently be found roaming Lincoln Park at night. In 1884, reportedly the first American bison born in captivity was born at the Lincoln Park Zoo. At this time, the species had almost been hunted to extinction in the wild so in 1896, the United States government bought one bull and seven cows from the Zoo's bison herd to send to Yellowstone National Park to assist in the species' revival.' - Wikipedia

is actually a Axis Deer (also known as Chital) from India according to Peter Boul, a member of the Ravenswood-Lake View Historical Association. He states that the author Robert May, the author of the book 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer', observed them at Lincoln Park zoo and was inspired to write the song we know today.

The Monuments of Lincoln Park

from 1870-1910

The Abraham Lincoln Monument

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Monument

The Alarm

originally called The Indian Monument

another view of it

Signal of Peace

Shakespeare Monument

The Eugene Field Monument

Ulysses S. Grant Monument

Hans Christian Andersen Monument

Robert Cavelier de LaSalle Monument

Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller Monument

Robert Cavelier de LaSalle Monument

at another angle

The monuments would be surrounded by a path

for walkers and horse & carriage

Benjamin Franklin Monument

Carl von Linné Monument

relocated to Midway Plaisance in 1976

The Missing Monuments of Lincoln Park

There are more lost/removed monumentsaccording to 'Giants at the Park'

This bridge was once located a few blocks south of Fullerton Avenue. By the 1910's the High Bridge earned a new infamous name of 'Suicide Bridge' Due to the high volume of lives lost per week the bridge was demolished in 1909

Narrative & Navigation

This has been a passion of mine for several years. This passion began with a simple inquiry of an ornate gate that surrounds a parking lot on my street. This singular inquiry lead me to learn everything I could online about the history of my neighborhood - Lake View, one of the 77 neighborhoods within the City of Chicago. Consider this topical blog as an online library of information for educators like myself who intend to teach others about this historical & robust corner of Chicago. I hope you enjoy the read and add any type of comments at the end of each post. I have a Facebook presence called 'LakeView Historical'.